Schools chief tells 2nd phase of cuts

District U-46 plans to pare $30 million

Teachers in Elgin-based School District U-46 will see more students in class next year under the latest round of budget cuts unveiled at Monday night's school board meeting.

Supt. Connie Welsh-Neale detailed about $30 million in new cuts to next year's budget, which includes a projected $13.4 million savings by increasing class sizes to as many as 32 students.

The district's primary schools now average 24 pupils per class, while middle and high school class sizes hover around 27, said Anne Riebock, assistant superintendent for educational services and accountability.

To stem the tide of a rising deficit, officials say the district must slash $40 million from its 2003-04 budget, a decrease of about 14 percent. Monday's cuts represented the second phase of that process. A tax-rate increase was soundly defeated in the November election.

The new cuts are "far-reaching and very difficult and painful for all of us to think about," Welsh-Neale said.

Officials will seek $4.9 million in reductions to special-education-related services, from a total district subsidy estimated at $18.5 million, and another $2.1 million from reading support programs.

To shave $2.1 million from the early-childhood program, the district may cut the number of sites from 17 to 5 and double tuition costs.

But perhaps most controversial was a $3.8 million reduction from the $8 million the district now spends for its lauded bilingual education program, which serves more than 6,000 students. Parents and educators packed the room to show support for the program.

Cuts to bilingual education are "aimed straight at a group most at risk of failure in our system," said bilingual educator Dawn Marie McCusker.

The district will also eliminate some middle school elective choices and limit high school students to no more than six courses at a time, for combined savings of nearly $2.4 million. About 20 percent of high school students are taking seven or eight courses.

Athletics, fine arts and other activities also face cuts, as do programs for gifted students, teacher mentoring, alternative education and the Project Accelerated Literacy program for at-risk children.

Officials previously announced several million dollars in savings from postponing the opening of four new schools and reductions at the central office. These, coupled with the new cuts, bring the district near its $40 million goal.